


Where the fire flower withered

by Sinfullysnowing



Series: The home we breathe [2]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Abandonment, Abuse, Betrayal, Broken Family, Emotional Manipulation, Gang Rape, Garmadon wasn't cured and is still evil because I say so, Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, Past Abuse, Ronin and Kai are weird, Sexual Slavery, Shameless Smut, Stockholm Syndrome, Torture, Verbal Abuse, Verbal Humiliation, songbird au created by me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-06-28 05:34:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15700845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinfullysnowing/pseuds/Sinfullysnowing
Summary: Kai knew he wasn't the strongest, or the smartestBut he had hoped that when it came down to him failing again, he wouldn't have to face their looks of hate and disappointment.In times like these, Kai likes to go to his secret garden of flowers that had bloomed from his own flames. As long as he was living and could smile, they would burn brightly and cheer him on silently.When Garmadon, the lord of evil, comes to stay, he is faced with a new kind of pain. One that could send him down a path of self destruction. Nothing could prepare him for this, nor did he notice when the flowers slowly start to wither.Just like he was.





	1. Where the mind lacks

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my story!!!
> 
> This is inspired by a story I read on this site where Garmadon takes advantage of Kai when he was envenomed by a venomari.
> 
> I sort of want to take a similar, yet different approach to this sort of genre.  
> This story will be more intense and will be very very dark. 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS SO READ THE TAGS  
> LEAVE IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY ANY OF THE THEMES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why don't you just listen and understand

The morning light gazed into the small room of the four ninja's room gently. It was as if it was trying to be careful to not awaken them as they slept peacefully throughout the morning. The only sounds that could be heard where the soft snores of Cole and Jay while the other two lay completely silent on their bunks. It was a normal morning on the bounty one would say if they had been there a while either as a guest, or a friend who would visit from time to time. However, they never saw past the smiles and the acts the ninja put on to conceal the horrors that went on behind closed doors. None in the bounty knew when it started, but pleasure seemed to be found in the darkest of places within their minds.

Kai slipped out of bed an hour before his brothers and yawned. He quietly tip toed out of the room and made his way down the hall of the ever so slightly rocking ship. He knew better than to wake them up this early, last time they were merciful, who was to say that they would be this time. The fire ninja sighed internally and left the ship to head to his happy place, a place that the others could not follow. Fire slowly arose from the ground and surrounded him in a blaze of gold. When it settled down, the red ninja was no longer by the ship. Instead, he found himself in his garden of fire. Flowers of every shade of gold, orange, and crimson bloomed around him and glowed. Kai smiled and sat down and crossed his legs to sit in peace and enjoy the warmth the flowers provided for him. They whispered and cheered for him to continue even when he was at the lowest, they were his only friends. His eyes fluttered closed as his body relaxed completely while many whispers of reassurances surrounded him. 

By the time the fire ninja had returned to the bounty, he was already an hour late for breakfast and training. Glares and mutters of disappointment were immediately thrown in his direction the moment he walked into their sensei's room to meditate. Wu ignored the looks the three were giving his ninja in red and simply continued training them, a sign that he wasn't welcome and would be punished soon after. Kai's gaze went to the floor defeated as he dragged himself out, ignoring the pain in his chest as he knew what was to come since he had failed his family once again. Nya said nothing to him as she walked past him, the glare she gave making him shiver and cower slightly in submission. He wasn't going to be granted mercy. The hours passed on and on until Cole pulled him up and lead him to the punishment room that was hidden in a secret part of the ship. It wasn't long until he was chained and whipped relentlessly until the smaller male was nothing more than a trembling mess. Kai thought that he had finished punishing him until he felt Jay's and Cole's hands starting to explore over his slim form, causing his eyes to shoot open and widen in fear. He didn't want this punishment, he didn't like this, and yet he still moaned as they used his body over and over again. They knew exactly how to make him weak and tear him apart piece by piece until he was nothing but a begging mess. By the time it was over, he would ask for more, hoping that maybe he could escape reality for a bit longer so that the pain wouldn't seem as bad.

"Hey Jay! looks like our little slut wants more!" Cole laughed as he stared down the brunette

Jay laughed along with the ravenette before prying kai's mouth open roughly and forcing him to take his entire length without warning.

Kai smiled around the blue ninja's cock and mewled, not effected by the prodding against his throat as he had grown used to the relentless and uncaring way the others treated him. With effort, he was able to swallow around the thick cock and suckle on him expertly to hopefully please enough to earn some praise. It was only way of receiving any sort of care or praise. This was all he was good for. He knew his place and was proud to stay obedient if it meant that he was cared for and loved like he needed. Since this started he needed to be loved, to hear that the others cared for him. If only for a few moments. Even just a glace of evidence that they wanted him made him just want to continue following every command. He was willing to rid them of himself if he was told he was better off gone. 

The flowers screamed in his mind and tried to pull him away from the state of mind he was slipping into. Many of them warning him of the consequences if he were to fall too deep. He snapped out of his trance and was quick to finish pleasuring Jay in order for him to be free again so that he may go to his safe place once more.

By the time he was released, it was dark out. The ground where they had landed, no longer visible to Kai. He was one step closer to falling and being free. And yet he couldn't do it. He was helpless to their words that had been imbedded into this brain. Causing him to hesitate and freeze up as he stared into the abyss. The red ninja didn't say a word as he slowly sank further and further into himself and collapsed to his knees while tears of grief rolled down his cheeks.

He just wanted this to be over


	2. The dream that repeats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one can understand their reality when they can't find the difference between dreams and real life

Kai woke up from his nightmare in a cold sweat, tears already falling like a waterfall down his cheeks as he remembered every vivid detail of the dream. A hand placed itself on his shoulder a few moments later, bringing him back into the present and driving away the memories. 

"Are you ok brother? you seem to be upset and scared of something" Zane asked with worry clear in his tone. 

The red ninja refused to answer with words as he was afraid of releasing his secret about his dreams. He simply nodded and wiped away the tears before he was up and getting dressed into his gi. "I'm going to go for a walk, see you guys when training starts" Kai said quickly before he was rushing out the door and heading off into the forest that the bounty had landed next to. A smile settled on his lips as the familiar feeling of fire starting to wrap itself around him began, closing his eyes and relaxing as he was once again in his garden of flowers. 

"your dreams are getting more dangerous... are you well?" a rose asked in concern for the fire master. Kai sighed softly and nodded slightly. His lie was noticed immediately by the grove of tiger lilies. "We know when you lie kai" one whispered, "we know you are hiding your pain. Why do you lie in order to make others worry less when you need the help?" Kai didn't answer, not knowing what to say or suggest so that his nightmares may go away and leave him in peace. He felt like he was going insane the longer he dreamed the dreams. 

Hours passed before kai finally made his way back to the bounty, Greeting his sensei and sister, whom where watching the other three ninja fight Lloyd. He stealthily made his way behind the green ninja and grabbed him, allowing Jay to finally get some blows in before Lloyd broke free and kicked them both back. "Welcome back Kai, how was your walk?" sensei Wu asked with a smile, knowing of Kai's secret garden. He had accidentally come across the petals of fire from his garden when the ninja in red had returned from another visit to the warm place. Kai simply smiled, "It was great! very relaxing" he stated happily. The wise man nodded, noticing the signal that Kai would need someone to talk to when training was over. The five trained the day away before they finally settled down and went to separate parts of the ship to hang out and enjoy free time. Kai waited till he was alone before heading to his sensei's room and sitting down. "What seems to be on your mind?" Wu asked his student. Kai looked down before telling Wu about the dreams that he had, how they got worse and worse every night. It left the bearded man stunned to know that his student had been suffering in such a way. Wu stood from where he was sat and approached Kai, placing a gentle and caring had on his shoulder. "Why have you kept this from us? We would have helped you through this" he asked, his face holding his worry for the younger boy. The fire ninja hung his head and sighed, "I was scared that if I told anyone it would come true... I feel like its going to happen and that everything is going to be just as bad as those dreams" he mumbled softly. Before Wu could speak another word, alarms began to fill the air. Kai quickly rushed out of the room to escape not only the topic, but the possibility that he would be in danger of telling Wu anything else. 

"Whats the problem sis?" he asked as he burst into the control room.

Nya looked over at her brother and the other ninja once they filed in and started speaking in a serious tone "serpentine have been spotted around the city edges, we are going to need to get help with this one. Their formation is highly irregular and might be a huge danger for you four. We can stall them for a short while, but sadly that is all we will be able to do"

Nya's words fuzzed up as Kai started to sink into his own mind, whispers and visions of his team mates abusing him replaying in his head. From that moment on he knew the mission was not going to end well.

His thoughts turned out to be true as they were forced to separate despite Nya warning against it. It had been his fault. He had wandered a little away from his brothers and had put them all in danger. They managed to escape, but not without some choice wounds scattered around their bodies. Kai had sprang ankle and wrist, cuts lining down his back from swords just barely nicking him, and a bruised cheek. Jay came out of the battle with only a few cuts and bruises and a possible broken rib. Cole returned with the worst, a broken wrist, concussion, a gash lining his chest, and burns. Zane managed to get away with only a scratch that went up his arm. 

As their wounds were being attended to, Jay released a growl and glared at Kai. "This is all your fault! We nearly got killed because of you!" Jay screeched loudly at the shivering brunette. "I'm-" Kai barely got to start apologizing before Cole cut in, "you should have been more careful fire brain, not all of us want to die" he muttered out, making the smaller male flinch at his words. Zane only turned away from the red ninja in disappointment. Kai closed his eyes and hung his head in defeat. His dream was coming true. They hated him and would punish him. Nya looking down at her cowering brother and sighed, wanting to comfort him but finding no reason to as in her mind her brother deserved it. The team was nearly killed because the ninja of fire had not listened to an important order. If only he had listened.

 

The next few weeks were hell for the Brunette. The team had done a complete 180 on who they wanted gone. And it was obvious no one was going to be helping him escape the fear and pain anytime soon. Even his sensei showed no reason to step in and stop the endless torture that was inflicted on Kai. The pain wasn't what killed him the most, it was the fact that it had been his family that had inflicted the pain upon him. They set rules up for him to follow, trained him to listen and obey every command, forced him down on his knees and collared him like he was a dog, and ruined him in a way that made him too ashamed and humiliated to stand up and ask for help. He was their slave and they were his masters. that was all there was to it. 

Kai remembered the first time they raped him. He was on his knees in front of Cole listening to his degrading words when he felt Jay start to come up behind him. His hands felt like they were burning his skin raw as they rested on his hips. 

"wha- Hey! Stop! Jay please stop!" Kai yelped out in surprise as his front was pinned to the ground, a hand placed firmly on his back to make sure he couldn't escape from his grasp. "How about we don't. We are a little stressed out, so why don't you be a good pet and keep your mouth shut" Jay growled into his ear before chuckling, "who knows! you might even enjoy it!"

Cole grabbed Kai's chin when he continued to protest and fight and forced him to look up at him. "You will obey" he snarled before slapping him hard across the face. Kai sobbed and stopped squirming under his blue clad brother, but continued begging for them to release him. They both ignored his pleas as they started to undress the fire ninja and take pictures of him. The red ninja once again starting to struggle the second his saw the first flash of the camera while screaming for his sister to help him, for anyone to help him. Jay rolled his eyes and laid over Kai so that he was trapped under him with no way to escape. "You better be quiet you useless bitch" he hissed. When Kai showed no signs of listening, the blue ninja growled and stuffed a sock into his mouth to muffle his cries.

What happened next caused Kai to scream through his makeshift gag. Jay had forced himself into the terrified male without any prep or lube and was now thrusting into him mercilessly. Kai felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out, the humiliation and shame somehow being worse than the physical pain. Cole laughed from where he was watching the scene, his cruel comments towards Kai cutting the brunette down even further. Tears spilled down his cheeks as he felt Jay increase his pace. His moans were right in his ears as well as the small growls of "so tight~" and "you're such a good hole Kai~" It made the brunette want to find a hole and die. Finally, what seemed like hours, Kai felt Jay's seed filling him before he pulled out. He hoped he could sleep now. His backside burned and he was exhausted to the point that he thought he might pass out any moment. However, Cole seemed to have other plans for him. The ninja in black pulled him up on his knees by his arms and held him there before thrusting into him roughly, pulling another muffled scream from him. Cole chuckled and showed no mercy with his thrusts. And Kai was left weak and a mess beneath him. He couldn't hold in his whimpers or even the sobs that escaped him whenever the larger male's cock rammed into him painfully. He thought it couldn't get any worse until he felt the raven thrust into something that made him see stars. A loud moan ripped from his throat, causing his two rapists to laugh and tease him. "See! told you he would enjoy it!" Jay laughed. The thought that his body was enjoying being violated made Kai want to throw up right then in there. Instead he closed his eyes and hung his head submissively. What was the point in fighting if his body was going to enjoy this. Jay's and Cole's laughs echoed through his head wildly as pain began to build up. 

The last thing he remembered was cum covering his back before he jerked awake from his dream panting, rushing to the toilet to unleash the contents of his stomach into it. By the time he was done, he was nothing but a trembling and broken mess on the bathroom floor.


	3. A jumble of footsteps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the memories you have forgotten that you start to miss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok soooooo
> 
> Updates are going to be weird... 
> 
> I have no real plan lol and honestly you might or might not see updates like all over the place
> 
> If you want to help me make a plan. I beg of you to help lol

Kai stared up at the ceiling silently as he listened to his brothers speaking softly on the other side of the room. There was no reason that he wasn't joining in on their conversation. After all it was about the next mission they were going on and how they wanted to execute it. But for some reason, thoughts ran wild through his head. Memories of the dreams were like a virus now, they showed no signs of stopping and letting him live his life peacefully. He wondered if he should just take the easy way out so that the dreams would disappear, but every time he got close his brothers would stop him. Kai knew it was selfish of him and that it was most likely going to make the dreams worse. But things started changing in and out of the dreams. He noticed how he hung his head when he was scolded, how he fell to his knees with his neck bared submissively in the presence of any enemy that found his trigger, how he could no longer look his sister and Wu in the eyes without feeling like he was going to die, and how he could no longer smile or come up with his usual responses. Others seemed to notice as well, commenting at his rapidly changing personality. Jay even joked about him a few times in hopes of cheering everyone up and getting their minds off of Kai's sudden suicidal change. Kai didn't find it funny. 

When his sister finally called them over the speaker, the brunette was the last one there. There stood Wu, who had left a little bit ago to find his brother, with Garmadon right behind him. At first the red ninja was tense, remembering all the times they have fought and nearly dying. Honestly he wished the other had succeeded. Garmadon's eyes fell on the depressed teen and frowned in confusion at the usually hotheaded and cocky boy's timid and fearful form. "Am I really that bad fire boy? You seem to be speechless" the dark lord commented with a smirk. Kai flinched and looked away with a dull look, fighting to keep himself from breaking down. He was already visibly weak as it is, he didn't want to lose his dignity. Wu noticed the exchange and sighed, giving his brother a silent promise to explain what was happening with a small look when he noticed the shocked look on his face. The others looked at their shorter brother with sad eyes, Nya placing a comforting hand on the brunette's shoulder in hopes of at least making him look up again. She didn't succeed.

When the meeting was over and the ninja were dismissed, Kai was the first to bolt out of the room and off the ship. No one was fast enough to see where he had gone off to. All they knew was that he was going to be gone for a while. Once everyone else was out of the room, Garmadon turned to Wu with a glare. "What have you done to that boy Wu..." he growled angrily. There was no way Kai was acting like that without a reason, the only explanation was that his brother had done something. Wu glanced up at his elder brother and without a word, pulled out a scroll showing the symbols to a spell. "I thought he would be strong enough for an experiment... It would seem I was wrong and I have no way of stopping It. I fear I may lose my ninja of fire" he stated in a sad tone of voice. But Garmadon was no fool. He could read his brother like an open book. "You did it on purpose in order to control the prophecy... you fool! You could kill us all" the dark lord snarled as he jumped to his feet and started pacing. "How could you do this to your own ninja?! How are you so calm with this? Implanting false memories and dreams into his head until he is broken" he continued to scold the younger fiercely until Wu finally snapped. "Enough! I am doing this to protect his brothers, if he fears us, he won't get himself into anything. He won't fall in love, He will be perfectly safe for us to control. The phoenix will rise, and when she does, I will keep her from ruining my perfect world" Wu shouted. Suddenly, their attention was pulled to the door way when they heard a tiny thud of something falling to the ground. There stood Kai. Eyes wide with shock and horror at what he had just heard. It seemed he wasn't the only one that heard. The other three were right behind him with equally looks of shock. After what seemed to be an hour, Cole growled and stood in front of Kai protectively. "You were the one that was making Kai like this? How could you?! We trusted you!" the earth ninja yelled, demanding answers while Jay and Zane tried desperately to get Kai to respond. Garmadon turned back to his brother with a disappointed look before approaching the team, moving past Cole and standing in front of Kai. The fire ninja looked up at him absolutely terrified before his eyes suddenly closed. Without speaking, the dark lord brought the younger male's body close and ran his fingers through his hair. When he was sure the other was asleep, he began to whisper out a spell to counter the one that Wu had cast. Wu growled and brought his staff up to attack, when the three ninja of lightning, earth, and ice all sprung forward to defend the man that was trying to heal their damaged brother. 

Kai found himself in a blank space, looking around confused and a little scared. The feeling of fear however seemed to slowly disappear as warmth filled his veins. "H-hello?" he called out nervously, ears straining to hear an answer, but all he got in return was silence. He was all alone in the void of his mind. The red ninja slowly started to walk south, the direction his element seemed to be leading him. The more he walked, the darker it seemed. And for some reason, it didn't scare him to walk into the unknown. Looking back at where he was coming from, he found that he had not been walking in a straight line the entire time. Instead, his foot prints were in that of circles and spirals that went in all directions. Along with the footprints were images. All of them of him and how he grew up, how he met someone special, how he lost himself. "Hello Kai... I've been waiting for you". 

Garmadon smiled down at the boy in his arms when he noticed him start to wake up. "Hello fire boy, have a good nap?" he teased the brunette. Immediately, the red ninja glared and released a loud growl. "What the hell do you want Garmadon? and put me down" Kai snarled loudly with a dark blush on his cheeks. He looked around confused and noticed he wasn't on the bounty. "Where... am I?" he then asked a little scared. The dark lord gave Kai a look of sorrow before saying, "It would seem your 'sensei' has tainted you and has abandoned you... you will be staying with me and training until it is time for you to know". Kai had no idea what that meant, but after looking through his memories to try and remember what happened last, he found that he could no longer remember when, where, or anything before the final fight with morro. "what's going on...?" He asked Garmadon with wide eyes. "I will tell you later, for now. Welcome to your new home" the dark lord chuckled before gesturing around the underworld.

Cole growled down at Wu from where he hung from the ceiling, watching as he worked on brewing a tea. "We won't hurt our brother" he hissed out in anger. "I know. Love is a strong emotion and usually forces us to put the one we have feelings for before their team. However... with you being the leader, I doubt you want to see your two brothers hurt" Wu spoke calmly, an emotionless look on his face as he studied his prized pupil. The earth ninja's glare faltered for a moment before his gaze went to Jay and Zane, both whom were in a small cage at the edge of the room. "What are you going to do to us?" Cole asked, voice laced with terror. "Dreams are an unusual thing don't you think? By manipulating them, you can manage to change someone's entire personality. It's almost like you have created an entire set of memories without even having to use the mind stone" Wu stated out as he pulled out the scroll with the spell he used on Kai. "If I can make someone hotheaded like Kai submissive in a week, lets see how long it takes to make you just as obedient". The last thing Cole heard before he was pulled into sleep was Jay and Zane screaming out his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that this chapter is finished I can go soak in a bath tub for a few hours even though its 2:30 am. 
> 
> don't judge me


	4. little whispers, loud thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you won't understand your own mind until you learn to make a conversation with yourself or... the person within

Morning came sooner then later for Kai. The dark lord bursting into his room with a couple of skeletons in order to wake up the young fire ninja. "Good morning fire boy! Breakfast is being served and training begins in a few hours" he yelled loudly, causing Kai to jump awake with a yelp. It had been a couple weeks since he was abandoned by his family and he had yet to get used to the way Garmadon behaved. Regardless, he rolled out of bed and dragged himself down to the dining hall of the dark lord's castle. "Please let today be better..." Kai prayed quietly before he dug into his tasteless slop that he was served.

When breakfast was over and forgotten, Kai made his way to the dojo for training. Inside it this time was a candle and a small tiger lily. "Come in Kai, today I will teach you to talk to your spirit" Garmadon stated with a small smile, something that always surprised the brunette. The red ninja sat on his knees like the elder was and waited obediently for instructions. "Close your eyes" he heard being ordered before he was complying and letting his eyes fall shut. "Now, I'm going to speak to you in whispers. I want you to concentrate on your own thoughts and learn to control where your mind wanders". Kai nodded to show he understood before he started to hear the other's whispers. They were low and spoke of many different places and treasures that one could discover if they were willing to face the dangers. Kai quickly started to try and block out the other's words, trying to focus on his own little thoughts and pains from the past few weeks. However, no matter how much he tried, he found himself being drawn to Garmadon's comforting words in order to block out the dreams that had resurfaced after the first week with the elder man. Kai was horrified whenever he drew himself back into himself to try and complete the task that he had set for him. "Focus Kai. There are more to you then just a stone wall of emotions. Sometimes you must face it in order to get stronger" Garmadon said softly, running his finger's through the brunette's hair in an attempt to have him relax when he noticed how he struggled with the memories of the rape and abuse in the dreams. "They... They were so real... The pain... The humiliation..." Kai found himself admitting. "I hated it... I couldn't tell whether or not they were real..." tears started to sprinkle down his cheeks despite his attempts at holding them in. "They weren't real Kai. You were loved by your brothers, by your sister, by your friends, and by me" the dark lord whispered into his ear before the room was overcome with silence. And as soon as Kai registered the lack of noise around him, he screamed. Agony and pure self hatred pouring out of him through his sobs and pleas for love. For some sort of sign that he was wanted.

"Why do you cry?" a voice asked suddenly. Kai's eyes shot open immediately when he heard it, looking around and noticing he was once again in the void of his mind. "Are you in distress?" the voice called another question curiously. "Who are you?" the red ninja mumbled out nervously. The voice giggled softly, a sound so warm that made Kai feel safe, "I will tell you my name later, I am your spirit and you are my host. We met a long time ago. You were six really, but when you fell into the clutches of Wu, I was powerless to speak and continue guiding you. You forgot about me" she explained to the dumbfounded teen. "So... you're my guardian angel?" Kai asked. The voice started laughing at the question, making Kai blush a little. "No, but I made a promise before I possessed you to protect you. Don't worry Kai, you will understand everything soon enough. Just trust me and you will be just fine".

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

Cole stared at the ground with dull eyes, visions of the never ending nightmares replaying in his brain over and over again. He could't believe that Kai had gone through this torture for this long without breaking. He could already feel himself cracking under the weight of pain and sleeplessness. Jay whimpered from his place in the cage and hesitantly called for his leader, "Cole... you ok buddy...?" the raven glanced at them with sad eyes and sighed. "Yah... Just peachy..." he breathed out before looking to the steal door that prevented them from ever seeing freedom. Nya had been taken a while ago, Wu speaking about using her as bait when the time was right.

He wished he could be a better leader to his team. One was gone from being taken by Garmadon, Two were locked up like animals, another was having god knows what done to them, and all he could do was hang from the ceiling by chains. There was no way for him to use his powers thanks to venge stone. "I hate this... Why can't this just end..." Cole sobbed quietly, finally feeling his mind break under his own thoughts. Wu entered and smirked up at the broken boy, taking his chin in his fingers to have him look him in the eyes. "Will you finally listen?" he asked, smirking as he saw the earth ninja nod desperately and whimper in agony. Zane and Jay watched with wide eyes as their strong leader gave in, both of them now feeling helpless and a little broken themselves.

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

 

Kai opened his amber eyes and looked up, a little shocked to meet sorrow filled red ones. "You've finally reconnected with her haven't you?" Garmadon whispered softly. The brunette nodded and mumbled something under his breath before he stood up and began to pace with a sorrowful chuckle. "How could Wu do this to me? making me forget her when she meant everything to me. I needed her to raise me and Nya. I needed her to guide me..." he hissed out with tears in his eyes. Garmadon sighed and stood up, pulling the brunette into a hug before suggesting a trip to Stiix. Kai nodded and left when he was dismissed, immediately heading to the bathroom. The first thing he noticed when he looked into the mirror was that his eyes were no longer amber. They were red. "Heartbreak...." he whispered out horrified before he fainted and crumbled to the ground.


	5. Silhouettes upon the wall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes the past and people we knew become silhouettes that dance on the walls as we walk down the path of life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone
> 
> I need help with grammar and english.   
> If something seems off or just misspelled its because I'm using google translate and trying to use what I learned in order to write this. I've found a lot of mistakes reading back and wanting to make sure everyone knows that there was changes in earlier chapters.
> 
> I am hoping everyone enjoys the story and will be willing to give pointers on my english

Kai woke up to the sound of waves crashing on a shore and the cold, wet feeling of water licking his toes. Confused, he opened his eyes and looked around to investigate his surroundings. To his surprise he was on the shore of a beach that wasn't too far from the town of Stiix. The brunette yawned and stretched before standing up and making his way over to the town to find something to eat. He would have to ask Garmadon how he had ended up there when he got back home. For now he would need to find an answer and figure out a plan on how he was going to hide from Wu before he was discovered. 

The red ninja entered a small shop curiously and looked around. The small shop held a lot of little different items and trinkets that looked to be too random to have just been found out of no where, one indicator of his suspicions being that of Cole's father's blade cup trophy. The person who ran the shop was most likely a thief that was making a living a life of unfair deals and trades, the person he was going to need in order to keep himself hidden. "Can I help you?" A voice called from somewhere in the shop, startling Kai a little. "I'm looking to make a deal" he called back simply to whoever was running the shop. A small huff could be heard before the man revealed himself to Kai and approached him in order to talk with him. The man's appearance was a little shocking, but he shook it off and began to speak, "I'm Kai, master of fire, I was wondering if you could help me stay hidden from my old team". The man's eyes widened a little bit before grabbing his arm and practically dragging him to the back room of the shop. After seeing Kai's confusion at the sudden action, the elder man said "your friends were just here a few minutes before you showed up, they were looking for you. Anyway, the name is Ronin. I thought you would remember, but I'm guessing Garmadon made sure you wouldn't remember a few things after you were taken. You've been gone for a long time you know, I've missed you coming to visit me". Kai's eyes widened a little while tearing up before he mumbled, "Garmadon wasn't the one that wiped my memory... It was Wu... He was removing any chances of me being happy to keep me away from destiny and... Heartbreak" Ronin was shocked to learn the new information before he hugged the red ninja and kissed the, now shaking, boy's forehead in an attempt to comfort him. "I could pull out your diary if you want... you left it here the last time you visited. Maybe that will help you remember." Ronin suggested once Kai had calmed down enough to talk again. "Yah... I would like that Ronin" Kai whispered softly, giving the elder a small smile. "You know... I've missed your smile..." the thief stated before smirking mischievously, "you said you came to make a deal right?~" The brunette chuckled as a few memories of their 'deals' resurfaced, a blush dusting his cheek as he shook his head in amusement to the other. "whats to price this time? Have you missed me that much?" Kai flirted, running a finger down Ronin's chest in a seductive manner before he wrapped his arms around his neck to bring him closer. Ronin smirked at the brunette's actions and kissed his cheeks before trailing his lips to his neck to leave a few marks. "How about we see how much you take before you pass out? I remember how much you loved when we did that" Kai shivered at the elder's suggestion and moaned. "I think that would be fair" he answered just as he was kissed on the lips roughly. Immediately memories of Ronin and their relationship together, how they fell in love, how they became friend's with benefits when they were told they were not allowed to date because Wu didn't approve of them. That didn't stop them from getting close enough to make up deals with each other in order to get as close to dating as they possibly could.

The red ninja fell naked onto Ronin's bed whimpering, giving his lover a look of need as he watched the other undress in front of him. "Please Ronin~" he started to beg, but was silenced by another kiss. "Patience sweetheart, I wanna see how much you've changed since the last time I've seen you" Ronin chuckled before moving his lips to the brunette's neck and placing small kisses and bites to mark what had once been his. A soft whimper left Kai every time he felt a bite on his sweet spot, causing Ronin to smirk and start sucking on the spot to tease and draw out more delicious sounds out of Kai. Ronin's lips started to slowly make their way down Kai's shivering body and planting small kisses everywhere while whispering out little sweet nothings. His hands were gentle as they spread his legs to expose his hole, Kai covering his face shyly when he felt his lover's hot breath against his entrance. The feeling of Ronin's tongue against his hole made him squeal loudly before moaning loudly in pleasure. "Ahhh~ Ronin please don't tease me" Kai finally managed out through his moans after what seemed like hours of preparation and teasing. Ronin only chuckled before he pulled his tongue away, smirking as Kai let out a loud gasp when he pressed his fingers into him, it was one, then two, then three. Kai nearly screaming in pleasure when Ronin curled his fingers into his prostate. And just like that, Kai was a babbling mess of want. Begging for the other desperately to take him and ruin him like before. The thief did not disappoint, he pulled his fingers out and immediately thrusted into his tight hole in one go, only stopping to make sure Kai could adjust before he could start fucking the younger into submission. "I- I'm ok, please continue" Kai whimpered out, Ronin almost died at how cute the fire ninja was when he said that, loving the almost innocent look in his eyes. And with permission finally being granted, Ronin pulled back until he was almost all the way out before slamming into him and fucking him like they wouldn't be seeing one another for ages. The only sounds that now filled the room was Kai sobs of pleasure, Ronin's soft grunts, and the slapping of skin on skin as the two fucked, only stopping to prolong their time together or to change positions. By the time night had set in, the two were already on their ninth round. "I'm gonna cum!" Kai screamed before cum coated the already dirtied sheets, Ronin not too far behind and filling Kai's overflowing hole even more. Finally Kai leaned up weakly and placed a tender kiss on his lover's cheek before passing out. The elder sighed in amusement when he saw this and pulled out before he started to clean them both up and get them ready to sleep.

The next morning, Kai woke up to soreness in his backside. "Damn it Ronin, did you have to be so rough?" he whined, causing Ronin to chuckle from where he was drying his hair from a shower. "Says the one that kept begging for me to be rougher" Ronin stated before heading over to kiss Kai and helping him to the shower so that he could wash off as well. The younger male hurried his shower and getting dressed before heading out to the diner with his lover for breakfast. "You had fun" Heartbreak chuckled, making Kai roll his eyes and say "Shut up". He must of said it out loud because Ronin, who had just been talking about what they should get, stopped and said "What? I was just recommending breakfast". Kai blushed in embarrassment and was quick to explain that he was talking to a spirit that was inside him. Ronin nodded, making Kai trade a kiss in order to earn forgiveness before he left the younger to speak with his guardian. Meanwhile, Heartbreak was laughing at Kai's embarrassment. "Shut it" Kai growled internally, the female calmed her laughing before saying, "I guess I should warn you before I speak from now on huh?" she said, pulling herself out of the brunette and sitting on a chair the table, nearly causing Ronin to fall out of his own seat from shock. "Or when I'm going to separate from you" she added once she got over laughing about Ronin's misfortune. "What are you doing out Heartbreak? you know its dangerous! If Wu sees you-" he was cut off by Heartbreak slapping a hand over his mouth and an aggressive growl, "that dick can rot in the underworld for all I care. I will not let a selfish mortal hurt you or capture me. As long as we work together and you train to control my power, we will be ok". The red ninja could only sigh and give in before looking over at Ronin. He smiled at him knowingly, as if he knew more then Kai did. "She was always protective over you, yelling at me and interrupting us a few times" he chuckled. They continued to converse playfully until the door of the diner flew open and slammed into the wall. Kai gasped in horror and stood up, Heartbreak following suit, only she stood in front of Kai and snarled with anger. Her wings spreading to reveal the fires of rage that she controlled. Ronin was even up and had armed himself with a weapon that had been within reach. 

"It's time for you to come home Kai" Cole said. It wasn't the fact that Cole was after him. It was how damaged and dull Cole and his bothers seemed to be. All three seeming to be in a trance as they approached. Kai teared up and closed his eyes, begging for it to go away. 

It didn't, but he was about to discover just how powerful he had become

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> big thanks to my friend sami. 
> 
> she helped me write the smut and some of the fluff and gave me pointers on how to make something for dramatic 
> 
> thanks sami


	6. It's a sin to shoot a mockingbird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spirits take up many forms in order to either guide or haunt us, but in the end they are still human

Cole approached the three almost drunkenly. It terrified and worried Kai at what Wu might have done to them to make them this way. By the looks of it, Cole seemed to flinch at every little thing and seemed afraid of something and the other two seemed just as afraid but also a little worried as well. "Cole please stop this... We can get you some help..." Kai whimpered out, hating how Cole flinched violently at the word help. "I'm sorry Kai, this is how it has to be. Come back without a fight and I'm sure sensei will go easy on you for leaving" Cole hissed to the ninja in red. Ronin growled and blocked the raven's view of his lover in order to keep Kai out of the way of danger. Cole noticed this immediately and glared at the thief that was getting in the way of his mission, pulling a blade from his belt and holding it out threateningly. "Back away from him and no one gets hurt" he ordered, but Ronin simply muttered "except Kai, has he not suffered enough?" there was a pause before Cole finally replied to the question. "It's his fault he is too weak". Heartbreak had had enough of the tension in the air and spread her wings in order to knock Cole back a few feet. The flames that trailed her feathers licking at everything around her and scorching them into a satisfying black, however, they didn't seem to set anything alight. The black ninja gawked at the spirit and immediately coward down as if to make himself a smaller target. "You will NOT touch my host! Any attempts will be faced with dire consequences!" she shrieked loud enough to hurt everyone's ears. Zane stared in amazement of her, calculating why and how she even existed. He honestly thought that Wu was lying about the phoenix prophecy, but yet here was a spirit of red, with wings burning the brightest of flames, and tail feathers that made it look like she had gold trailing her. "I, Heartbreak, Spirit of the fires of rage and determination, have vowed to protect this boy from harm and death. Now... Betrayal, why don't you come out and face me like the man you have claimed to be" Heartbreak hissed, glaring down at Cole. Cole could practically feel her ruby red eyes burning into him as she continued to glare down at him. In a moment's decision, he launched himself forward in an attempt to knock Kai out to see if Heartbreak would disappear. However, he didn't get too far as he was suddenly slammed in the wall with great force thanks to Heartbreak smacking him with her tail feathers. This time though, the flames on her feathers were much hotter, burning him in the process. Cole released a scream of agony and tried to move, but he quickly found that upon impact he had twisted his foot. Zane and Jay saw this and quickly sprang into action to assist their wounded brother.

Just as Heartbreak was going to land the final blow, smoke filled the room and a mockingbird made of shadows burst out of Cole's chest and knocked her back. "I will not allow you to kill him" The bird growled before shifting into his human form. Heartbreak smirked at the man and chuckled in amusement before saying something that made everyone's eyes widen. "Hello betrayal, I see Wu has finally made good use for you. Don't worry, I won't kill him. It's a sin to kill a mockingbird after all, right?" Betray growled at her and stood protectively in front of his shocked host for a few moments before his eyes softened a little. "Heartbreak... Its been years... I've forgotten how beautiful you were when you were in a rage". Heartbreak relaxed and folded her wings neatly before embracing the shadowy spirit. "I missed you... After Wu took you I was worried I would never see you again..." the phoenix songbird whimpered out. Betrayal only sighed and returned her hug eagerly while holding in tears so that the other might not worry. "I'm ok... just a little weak" he mumbled before pulling away and facing those that populated the room. "Take Kai and run" He instructed the thief that was now holding a trembling brunette, he then turned to Heartbreak. "Stay hidden in him and don't come out until you know it will be time, even taking over his body so that you may assist will be harmful to both of you if you are fighting Wu" The female teared up, but nodded and slowly disappeared back into her host as instructed. Ronin took this as his cue to pick Kai up and rush out of the diner. When they were gone and out of sight, Betrayal turned to Cole and glared before he too faded into his host. "I don't need you to save me" Cole snarled to Betrayal, growing even angrier when he received no answer from the spirit. Zane had to struggle with the ninja in black for a while before they arrived back at the bounty. Wu did not seem happy with the failure and pulled Cole away for punishment.

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

Nya sighed as she stared out the small window in her cell. She missed her brother and hoped that he was doing ok. Not just physically seeing that Wu had been forcing damaging dreams onto him in order to keep him in line and on the verge of breaking. She wasn't fed or given any water, so she had to make her own water in order to keep herself from dehydrating. As for food... Jay would 'accidentally' drop an apple or even scraps from the dinners that Zane cooked when it was his turn to check up on her. She was grateful that she was left unharmed, but she knew in time, Wu would use her to lure her brother out so that he could take him again and force even more forms of torture, not just the dreams that tore the fire ninja to shreds mentally. She had been told by the three remaining ninjas about what Wu had planned and he had told them about the prophecy. A prophecy that could hurt all of Ninjago if it were to be carried out to the fullest. This would be worst then when they were facing Nadakhan, according to Jay. She really hoped that that Kai was safe and was able to stay away long enough to be able to defeat Wu and save Ninjago like the team had done together once before.

The raven was pulled away from her thoughts by the sound of a voice, a small one, but it was there. "Seems like you've got yourself into a little bit of a problem" it called. It sounded young, yet mature at the same time. It was enough for Nya to get up and start looking around for the source of it. "Who's there?" she called back, voice slightly shaky with uncertainty. "Where are you?" she called again before the voice shushed her and told her to be silent. A moment later Cole came in and sat on the chair for his shift at watching the captive. His eyes were puffy and red like he had just finished crying, his body littered with bandages and bruises, but the injury that caught her eye the most was the burn on his shoulder. Wu had branded him. "Cole are you ok?" she asked worried, approaching the bars to have a better look at her ex friend. "I- I don't know anymore Nya.... This is all messed up and I keep seeing Kai's look of terror" he whimpered out. "I don't want to hurt him, but Wu seems like he forgot what Kai really means to us. Hes our brother and yet hes being treated like the worst enemy we have ever faced just because hes carrying a stupid spirit.... I'm sick of having my own..." the male raven continued to rave on how angry and upset he was until finally calming down and looking up at the captive. She had no look of pity or hatred. It was one of understanding as she knew the pain he was going through... well most of it. She spoke soothing words to him before Cole had to leave for bed, leaving her in silence once more. Nya had almost forgotten the voice until it spoke up again. "Don't worry little one, I will set you free if you are willing to cooperate" the voice murmured, causing Nya to spin around in shock. No one was there. But why did it sound like they were right behind her? It was then that she took notice of a feather that laid just at her feet, the white feather making the cell seem a million times brighter than it had been. Nya picked the feather up and inspected it for any details before a thought came to mind. "It's time for you to be free young one" a whisper sounded in her ear before the raven rushed to the door to pick the lock and make her escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one is sort and a little rush. I'm currently in Germany and trying my best to handle this and getting ready for a convention when I get back to America
> 
> Hope you enjoyed


	7. Love is like a River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rivers flow endlessly. They could be both gentle and a terror. Just like humans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee im baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Nya was cautious as she wandered the ship. Her ears straining to hear any movement from any of the ninja or worse, Wu. The soft voice in her ears guiding her from time to time to make sure she avoided danger and even helped her learn how to silence her steps and breathing. Soon, she arrive on the deck of the ship and ran to the edge to see that they were in the air above a river. "I thought you would find a way out" a voice chuckled. Wu. The raven haired female gasped in shock and spun around, almost tripping over the edge. "Now now, don't be like that. You should know that I can't let you leave just yet" he chuckled once more before he brought his staff up and got ready to attack. "No" Nya said boldly, her eyes melting from a deep blue to a lavender. She spread her arms and leaned back, allowing gravity to take her down to the vicious waters below. 

The last thing she heard before everything went black was Jay's scream and a girl's voice whispering a lullaby.

 

The sound of waves crashing was the only thing Nya could hear when she awoke. Next was the sound of what sound like swans. Then.... silence. Darkness surrounded her in every direction. 

"Open your eyes little one" a girl's voice requested gently, and obediently, Nya did. Her eyes took in a young girl that looked to be around her age. The first thing she noticed was her eyes. A beautiful lavender that held both beauty and horrors, a story one could listen to for a lifetime without getting bored or tired. Nya felt like she was lost in the story just by staring into them. "Its nice to meet you in person Nya. I've been watching and waiting for you to be ready for me to be your guide" the girl said softly. Even her voice seemed to hold a story it seem and it left her speechless. After a minute of not answering, Nya shook her head to get rid of her thoughts before she answered. "I don't want to be rude... but who are you?" she asked politely, gasping when the girl chuckled and extended her massive wings. "My name is irrelevant to my purpose, but you may call me lust. the spirit of blood lust and the will to survive" the girl, Lust, answered with a smirk. Nya tilted his head when she heard that the other was a spirit. It then hit her that this spirit might be one from the prophecy. "Could you help me find my brother? He has a spirit in him and my old sensei is after him" Nya asked once it clicked, a begging tone in her voice. Lust smiled and nodded. "Of course I can help! If you learn to use my power" she chirped. The raven wasn't sure she could trust that smile she was given.

 

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

 

Kai whined as Ronin and him traveled further and further from Stiix. The elder looked back at the brunette and frowned, noticing how worn down he was. It was obvious that he was out of shape after everything he had been through.

Hours upon hours seemed to pass before Heartbreak gave them the okay to stop. "We can rest here for the night. Its protect by songbirds that will alert us should Wu or your brothers show up" she sighed, coming out to help Ronin set up camp and get Kai some much needed sleep. 

"We need to contact Garmadon and tell him that Kai needs help. I know you are capable of protecting Kai, but if you go down, Kai would be vulnerable" Heartbreak explain, ignoring the look that was shot her way. Once the camp was set up, the small brunette was laid down in the center by the fire to keep him warm. The other two watching over him and talking until the message to Garmadon was answered. Silence surrounded them as they waited. It made Ronin uneasy as not even the sound of crickets could be heard. 

Without warning, the two was startled as purple flames surrounded the camp. Heartbreak was first to her feet, spreading her wings and tail feathers to ready herself for an attack should there be one. Sighs of relief left Ronin and Heartbreak the moment they noticed that it was the dark lord. "I'm sorry we had to disturb you, but we need help keeping Kai safe from Wu. He's converted the other ninja and one of them has Betrayal inside of them" the red head stated, with no obvious room for arguing with her. Garmadon, not expecting the sudden order, simply nodded and went to sit by the fire master. "You're going to have to train him soon. Hope and Trust are going to be waking up soon and Lust is already working on training her host" Garmadon pointed out when he noticed that Kai had yet to adorn Heartbreak's mark. 

"Hes not ready. Until he experiences the first sun, he won't be ready to use my power" came a growl before Heartbreak disappeared into Kai to be alone and rest. Garmadon sighed, but understood where she was coming from. Honestly, he was more worried about who Lust had chosen to be her host as she had the tendency to be destructive to everything around her if she was given the chance to unleash her power. Another worry being that the host wouldn't know how to contain her and keep her in line.

 

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

 

Jay looked over the edge where Nya had fallen. Listening to Wu's rampage and screaming about how useless they were because they hadn't notice that Nya had escaped in the first place. Unknown to Wu however, the ginger was holding a secret. He was quite sure what it was, but he was sure that it was going to help him and the others escape from Wu. It was going to take a while to control, but he was ready. He was ready for anything Wu threw at them before it was time for them to leave and fight back. If what Garmadon had yelled to him before he left was correct, the prophecy would be carried out whether or not his cruel sensei wanted it. They would be free soon enough. They just had to have hope.

"Are you ok?" Zane asked when Jay came back inside. "Yah, I'm just hoping that Garmadon was right and that Kai and Nya are ok" the blue ninja answered with a sad sigh before smiling and chuckling. "Lets go save Cole before Wu decides to kill him and turn him into dragon food" he suggested before running off. The nindroid frowned at the other's happiness, but shrugged it off and followed. He just hoped everything would be okay in the future as he was unable to feel what the future was possibly going to hold.


	8. Comparing petals to shattered glass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sometimes mirrors reveal who you really are and who you want to be

Jay stared at the mirror in the bathroom with a frown. The longer he stared the more he could see himself change. His hair would become longer and become a brighter orange, eyes a little more green, heck hes even noticed a ring of gold surround his iris before it disappeared when he blinked. Someone was inside of him. The ginger growled loudly and glared at the glass hard before turning away and leaving the room. 

But unfortunately it wasn't that easy. The moment he stepped out, he found himself in the same room facing the same mirror. Jay huffed and turned around.

The same room.

The window.

He rushed to the window and opened it, jumping out with his sights on escaping.

The same room.

Jay yelled in frustration and looked around once again for an escape. 

No doors.

No windows.

Trapped.

The mirror.

It was fogged over this time, which confused him as no one had taken a shower in the past few days. Cautiously, he approached it and examined it closely. For a few moments it seemed like nothing was out of place, it was when something on the other side of the mirror began to draw a smiley face did Jay know something was very very wrong. Slowly, he backed away from the mirror, praying that he wouldn't have to confront whoever was on the other side.

"Come back" came a simple command, making the blue ninja freeze in shock at the sudden voice. Without even thinking about it, he approached the mirror and inspected it once again. 

"Don't be afraid Jay" the voice whispered softly. 

Without warning the fog to the mirror was wiped away where the face would be on the other side. Only, Jay didn't see himself or anyone. 

It was completely blank.

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~ 

A gasp left Kai as he was shaken awake. "Wake up Kai, we need to get moving" Garmadon said gently. The red ninja sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking up at the dark lord. "Garmadon?" he mumbled in confusion, not expecting to see the other. Garmadon chuckled at the still tired ninja and petted him gently, running his fingers through the messed up spikes and smiling as he watched the brunette doze off again. "Hes not waking up anytime soon is he?" Ronin asked, smirking at the scene in front of him. The dark lord laughed and nodded before picking Kai up with his upper two arms and keeping him close to his chest, almost protectively. Once everything was gathered and packed, they set off to their next destination.

The journey to their next destination wasn't very eventful. Kai managed to wake up thankfully and was walking on his own after spending a good hour yelling at Garmadon and sulking in his embarrassment when he woke up and noticed he was being carried bridal style. Garmadon could still see the blush on his cheeks during the remainder of the trip. And finally after hours of walking, they came across a rapid river. Kai's breath caught in his throat as he stared at the water. Terror burning inside of him when he heard Ronin tell them that they were going to have to find a way across if they wanted to reach the cave systems that would keep them safe.

But it wasn't the thought of the water that terrified him.

"No" he said simply before bolting away, following the river and using it as a guide to whatever was pulling him. 

He ignored Garmadon and Ronin yelling.

He ignored Heartbreak screaming inside him to stop.

He ignored the pain when he hurt his ankle.

 

Because what was lurking by the rapids just a mile in front of him was his baby sister. 

 

And she wasn't breathing.

 

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

 

A scream left Jay as he tried to find a way out of the room. His hands were bloody from his multiple attempts at punching and clawing at the walls of the room until finally giving up when he peeked through a hole he made and saw it was the same exact room he was in. He did everything he could possibly do to escape until finally he was back at the mirror and screaming at it for an answer.

"Why are you keeping me here" he asked, growling lowly.

"To teach you" came the answer.

"But why?" he demanded.

"You're refusing to ask the correct question Jay" the voice stated simply, no hint that it was intimidated or amused with the situation or the blue ninja's frustration.

"And what question is that?" Jay questioned, confusion and frustration growing with every second.

"Who"

"Who?"

"Yes. Who?"

"That doesn't make any sense"

"It does if you ask it right"

Jay stood there confused, thinking for a moment before speaking again.

"Who are you?" he asked loudly.

A chuckle came from the other side of the mirror. The sound got louder and louder under his ears began to bleed. Even covering them served no purpose as the sound only got louder. 

Without thinking, Jay punched the mirror and watched as the pieces fell around him.

"Hello Jay. My name is Hope" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was i tired when i wrote this. yes  
> did i spend two hours staring at the mirror and doing weird things.... maybe
> 
> did i consume a coffee with a shot of five hour energy.... yes.... yes i did
> 
> you all probs wont get an update from this story for a bit till i update "a home we breathe" as that story is very important to this one and I want to make sure that everything is in it's place


	9. The burning of petals in my dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breathe in. Breathe out. But you still won't come alive and open your eyes.

Kai could barely breathe, but he pushed forward. He needed to get to his sister. That was the only thing on his mind at the moment. Everything else such as Garmadon and Ronin was gone from his mind as he followed the river to where he knew his sister was. Without a second thought, he turned toward the traitorous waters and dived in, swimming to the bottom and trying his best to ignore the river's strong current that was throwing him about before he began grabbing at random in the darkness until his fingers brushed over a familiar fabric. The red ninja grabbed onto it tightly and pulled with as much strength as he could, kicking his feet and trying to reach the surface. When Kai finally reached the surface, he managed to get Nya onto a rock before he was dragged under. Once again he tried to swim back up, only to feel his body slam into rock after rock until he was nearly unconscious. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough to come to as his leg got stuck in between two rocks and kept him trapped in the darkness.

Nya coughed harshly and shivered as she was lifted from the water. She looked around and caught a splash of red in the corner of her eye before she panicked. Just before she could jump into the water to help her savior, a hand grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her back onto land. "You were nearly drowned, that wouldn't be a good idea" Ronin stated, shocking the raven as she was expecting him to be there. "Ronin... who-" she didn't get to finish as Garmadon jumped into the water and dove down into it's shadowy depths.

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

The dark lord was many things in the eyes of others. Evil, murderer, liar, etc. And he believed their words after years of hearing it. But never in a million years did he think he would become a protector of someone he used to hate so dearly. He used to try and kill the ninja, but now that he had seen how cruel his brother was becoming, he couldn't help but become protective of the red ninja that he had saved. A glimmer of hope for his future was becoming clearer with each day that Kai was close by his side. Now he knew it would be a long time before he admitted this. Kai needed to be able to heal and do what he wanted before he was ready. But he would be damned if he couldn't admit that he was jealous of the fact that Kai had gone to Ronin. Heartbreak was close by, and he wasn't talking about the spirit.

When he had sent the red ninja away, he had meant it in a way to get Kai out of there because Wu had managed to enter the underworld to retrieve him. Wu was relentless in his pursuit of the red ninja, wanting to keep the prophecy contained as much as possible even though he knew that wasn't possible. The fact he had dared to attempt to contain it was what made Garmadon so eager to help the ninja out. His brother had become the enemy and he was sure they had no idea what to do in order to beat him. Garmadon was going to do everything in his power to help them and help them defeat his brother. 

That was something he never thought he would say....

Though it was something he definitely was going to have to admit now that he had dove into a rapid river to save a hot head that he had fallen head over heels for. It felt like hours as he searched the water for Kai, praying for even a slither of red to pop into his view. His prayers were answered as he noticed something glowing at the bottom. Heartbreak was out of the ninja's body and was struggling to get his foot unstuck, her body glowing brighter like a beacon as if calling for help as she too struggled. Garmadon rose to the surface to take a deep breath before he once again dived down, following Heartbreak's light until he was right beside the two. The spirit gave him a look of desperation as he joined in trying to free Kai's foot, but the brunette's limb didn't seem to budge. With a growl, the dark lord unsheathed a dagger and began to stab and chip at the rock until finally it gave way and allowed both him and the spirit to get him above water to breathe seeing how he was close to passing out.

When they finally broke the surface, Nya cried out in joy and Ronin sighed a breath of relief. Kai was dragged onto dry land and allowed to recover for a few minutes before his sister tore into him about 'being a hero' and how it 'wasn't safe'. Kai just chuckled and rolled his eyes, too exhausted from nearly drowning to it to be bothered. He turned to the man that saved him and smiled weakly. "Thanks" the brunette giggled before he passed out, causing Garmadon to chuckle in amusement. Ronin helped get the two siblings dried before they were off once again, Nya filling them in on what was going on and where Wu had been hidden. It was obvious that the raven was hiding something, but the two men didn't question her. It wasn't important yet.

 

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

Lust tilted her head and watched her charge throughout the event, curious as to how Garmadon had not felt her. He might have felt her, but was too 'busy' with a certain ninja ninja, but the spirit felt like something was off. Way off. The spirit immediately had Nya look around and use her power of instincts to feel around them. "Hope...?" Lust mumbled in confusion. Waves of the aura could be felt and it was becoming painful the closer the other spirit seemed to get. "Wu is closing in on you! You need to run!" Lust screamed through Nya, startling the others for a moment before it began to sink in. The three that wasn't being carried quickly bolted to the river where they they needed to cross and, with Nya's help, made it across and booked it to the forest where they would hopefully be safe. What they weren't expecting, was Jay to be standing there bloody and panting. "Hey guys" the ginger chuckled as if he wasn't in extreme pain and barely able to even stand. Lust and Nya both tilted their heads this time in confusion, feeling no danger and honestly wonder where the blue ninja had come from. 

And where was Wu?

Jay panted and looked at Kai and Nya for a moment before smiling and collapsing. Before either Ronin or Nya could approach him, a bright light left the blue ninja's chest and knocked them back. Standing over Jay protectively was a woman with a dove mask over her face and a spear in hand. "Come any closer to my host and you all will die" she snarled, glaring through the mask. Kai stirred before waking up, looking at the scene in front of him. The brunette was out of Garmadon's arms in record time and standing in between the two parties. 

Kai could feel Heartbreak crying out, the spirit having sought refuge inside him when Nya had warned them of incoming danger. Without even fighting, Kai allowed the spirit to possess his mind. The red ninja's eyes slowly became a glowing red with flecks of gold before his body rose in flames. When the fire cleared, Heartbreak could be seen with tear filled eyes as she gazed at the woman in front of her. The woman's eyes widened in shock before she too became teary eyes. Before anyone knew it, the two were hugging and crying in relief. 

"Sister... I thought you were gone forever..." Heartbreak sobbed, the other laughing before pushing the other to arm's length. "You've got a host! I thought you were never going to pick one after the first one" The other teased, earning a glare from the red spirit. It was a cough that pulled their attention from each other. The two looked at Ronin and Garmadon before laughing, Heartbreak separating from Kai and allowing the red ninja to go to Jay to help him and make sure he was okay. "Ok so... We have two spirits now" Ronin mumbled, his eyes widening when Nya chuckled nervously and let her spirit separate from her. "Sup" Lust greeted with a smirk, ignoring the older spirits that were glaring at her. Garmadon facepalmed and sighed before shrugging. "So we have three spirits with us..." he muttered before staring at Ronin as if the man would confess to having one too. The thief brought his hands up in surrender, showing that he wasn't hiding anything.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me" a void growled, startling the entire group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be extra long so be ready for it


	10. Seeing with eyes wide open

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your mind is vulnerable. To everything. When will you learn that.

Wu snarled and lashed out at Cole, glaring down at the black ninja when he collapsed and covered his head instinctively in case his sensei was going to continue punishing him. "How dare you let him escape" he heard the other snarl before the slam of a door followed it. Cautiously, the raven peeked out from the protection of his arms and slowly began to stand, only to drop down to his knees again when the door was reopened. Relief practically slammed into him when he noticed that it was just Zane. The white ninja approached him calmly, almost acting like Cole was a wounded animal that would attack any moment. Cole teared up and practically tackled Zane into a hug, taking in any comfort he could get to clear away the memories of nightmares and harsh treatment he had be subjected to.

"I want this to end. I want to leave" Cole finally managed to choke out through his sobs, not even noticing when the nindroid sighed and nodded in agreement. At that moment the two knew they were going to have to leave if they wanted any real chance at surviving. 

"finally" the voice inside Cole muttered, the unimpressed voice causing the ninja in black to flinch. "How do I escape?" he asked his 'guardian', sounding defeated. The spirit simply chuckled, Cole could practically feel his grin, and said "leave that to me child".

 

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

Kai stared in shock at the person before them. Never in a million years did he expect to see him again after he went off the grid and disappeared without any trace all those years back. "Lloyd?!" he called out, watching as the green eyed boy turned to him and smiled as if he hadn't been gone. "Oh hey Kai! How have you been?" the boy chirped happily before acknowledging his dad and the others that stood around him. "Whats up?" Kai growled and stomped over to the boy, the others chasing after him as they almost expected him to kill the boy. "Whats up? Thats all you have to say after 7 years?" The ninja in red paused before embracing Lloyd. Sighs of relief were released immediately, happy that Kai wasn't going to kill the green ninja. 

The others sat down near the edge of the forest, talking and listening to Lloyd as he explained why he had disappeared like he had. Ignoring Jay for the time being as he was being cared for by Nya. It took a moment of explaining, but the moment Lloyd's eyes became purple, they understood.

"I ran into this spirit just before I left. He told me that he could train me so that I could help everyone. He left out the part that there were others and that my uncle was evil though" was the main summary of what had happened. 

"So you've been training this entire time?" Kai asked curiously, eyebrows raised in surprise. "Yah, me and Safety have been going at it on the dark island for a while now. I just came back because Safety said I was ready" Lloyd chirped happily.

A look began passing over the red ninja's face, like he had a question but was too scared to ask it. after a moment or two he gained the courage to ask, "what do you mean by trained?" The green ninja smiled and answered as if it wasn't a big deal. "He trained me on how to use his powers and such, I can make shields that are almost indestructible and can become an owl whenever me and safety agree to. Though he tends to make me walk instead of fly. Oh! thats another thing, I can do this!" He exclaimed before standing up and spreading his arms. Purple markings began to cover his body with an almost ominous glow until it faded. At first the group had no idea what had happened until Lloyd unfolded a pair of beautiful violet and black owl wings.

Kai was shocked as he watched the younger blonde show off his wings to his friends, turning to his own guardian and asking, "will I be able to do that too?" Heartbreak chuckled and nodded, "your wings will be harder to control, but yes you will be able to summon them when you please once I have finished training you" she explained before sighing, "we should get moving before we get caught, we haven't reached the caves and Jay needs medical attention" the spirit announced, the others mumbling their agreements before they were once again on the move.

 

~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~

 

The room was dark. Too dark for him to see, but Cole felt like he had been there before. Like he knew where to go, but was too scared to try and find his way out. For now however he would just stand and listen for a clue on what to do next. He waited until a small light appeared and illuminated a door. The door looked like it used to beautiful, the edges a rusty and worn gold and the wood a dull cherry. When he had gathered the courage to open the door he found himself in the meditation room from the old monastery. The room looked new, exactly how it had been when Wu had first taken him in. Words from his once gentle sensei began to play in his head, making him tear up.

"I am your sensei and I will teach you how to protect yourself and your brothers. Never let them slip away from you, even when the weather and the world crash into you. You must be strong and keep them safe just as I will for you"

He remembered when the bearded man had said that and kept the promise, the promise that he would take care of them. But now it was quite obvious that Wu had forgotten what they were worth and was willing to break the strongest bonds he had for a silly prophecy.

"I am the leader of this ninja team. I'm the master of earth and I made a promise to protect them. You may have linked me to the spirit of betrayal, but it won't be my brothers who feel it. I promised him under the stars that one day I would give him an answer when he gave me that letter. I made a promise. A promise I will never break for the sake of Ninjago. Even if it means betraying my sensei despite all that he has done to help us grow. My name is Cole Hence. And I choose my brothers."


End file.
